Perfect borders made easy

Are you planning on throwing or attending an Oscar party? Or maybe even a movie-themed party in the future? Here are some fun, DIY projects to add to the festivities.

Let's start with some fun, festive cupcakes!

If you are ever interested in an uncommon shape that will likely not have its own punch, such as an Oscar statue, take a look through your punches and you could possibly find one hiding. Who knew an Oscar statue was hiding in the ‘Puzzled’ squeeze punch?

You just need two clever cuts to bring him to life. Glue him onto simple rectangles for a base (cut using your paper trimmer) and onto a toothpick for super quick Oscar treats.

The movie reel topper has a few more steps, but goes together quickly as well. The best part is it is made up of assorted circle punches. It’s amazing the things you can make with a good set of simple circles punches in your crafting inventory.

For each reel, punch out two circle squeeze punches in size large from gray or silver cardstock. Stack them together and punch once at the center with a 1/16 inch circle hand punch. Punch five 1/4 inch circles evenly spaced around the perimeter. (Tip: Use one punched circle as a template for all of the rest so you can punch away without worrying about spacing.)

Punch two circle squeeze punches in size medium from black cardstock. Glue each onto black craft foam and cut around perimeter. Now you can either glue the gray and black pieces stacked together, or make a little film strip to glue between the foam pieces. Here’s how:

Punch along black cardstock with the ‘Picket Fence’ border punch. Trim off the fence as shown and then the pickets as shown, and you are left with the cutest film strip. Curl it around a pen or pencil and glue between the foam pieces when assembling the movie reel topper.

Other than desserts, popcorn is likely on the menu for a movie themed party! You can transform regular white paper cups into mini popcorn tubs for individual portions. All you need to do is cut strips of red cardstock and glue evenly around cups. Easy and inexpensive!

A fun way to label foods, such as different varieties of popcorn, is with Tinker Toys, of all things! I had some leftover from when my kids were small, but I often see them at thrift stores.

Paint all of the holes and the middle black and allow them to dry. Don’t worry too much about staying in the “lines” as the next step will cover it up. (Tip: Cotton swabs work well for painting in the holes.)Once dry, paint the top and bottom silver with a foam brush. Then you can add the Tinker Toy sticks which have a slot for your label. However, you will likely need to beef up the thickness of your label so it will fit snugly. I punched out a couple of small circles (just because it was a quick method) and adhered them centered at the bottom of the back of my labels.

Speaking of the labels, a ticket shape works perfectly for a movie themed party! I “cut” mine out with a perforating blade in my rotary trimmer for a fun touch. I used the circle pop-up punch on each end, only inserting a small bit into the punch for an easy ticket shape.

It appears that marquee letters are a big trend right now as I am seeing them everywhere. What an appropriate occasion to make a set for the party! I decided against using actual lights and instead opted for a paper set to give the feel to the party without the work and expense. I cheated left and right, ha!

Purchase papier-mâché letters from the craft store and cut off the fronts with a craft knife (on a protected surface just in case). Paint them and add circles punches of light yellow cardstock evenly spaced inside letters. Use two or three layers of foam dots to attach the circles to give them dimension.

I encourage you to find fun ways to put those circle punches to work, as well as find creative uses hidden inside of all of your shapes!